Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 3905 articles by Bill Dries :
The path of the two budget seasons and the use of federal funds to close financial gaps — plus other topics — are the focus of a reporters roundtable on “Behind The Headlines.”
The late 1950s or early 1960s painting of the Cossitt Library surfaced last month. It was set aside during a cleanup of the Downtown landmark, and the rediscovery marks a turn in fortune with a renovated Cossitt set to reopen in the fall.
Martavius Jones says he will push for the increase at next week’s council session.
Republican county commissioners who voted two weeks ago in favor of a resolution urging Gov. Bill Lee to veto a ban on teaching critical race theory took back their yes votes Monday. The resolution still passed.
Police issued an arrest warrant Friday, June 4, on a charge of assault against the crew worker who berated and threatened Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer Tuesday in Health Sciences Park.
Meanwhile, a City Council member who is term limited said he may be on the 2022 ballot for Shelby County Commission and an incumbent commissioner says he will probably seek another term.
The Monday, June 7, session of the County Commission could mark the end of the 2021 budget season with a series of final votes on a $1.4 billion consolidated budget and a county property tax rate considered stable if it drops from the current $4.05 to $3.45.
The former Tennessee governor talked on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast about the state’s path to Republican dominance and his call on Christian conservatives to pull away from the nation’s partisan political divide.
The Shelby County tax assessor said on “Behind The Headlines” that Germantown homes reflect an increase in values in this year’s reappraisal despite 2019 flooding in some parts of the city. He also discussed a change in the valuation of commercial property and his call for a reappraisal every other year.
A third bridge for vehicular traffic at Memphis isn’t at the top of everyone’s list, coming after broadband for Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Related story:
Commissioners also got a look a three scenarios for a property tax hike from County Mayor Lee Harris’ administration although Harris has said he is not proposing such a tax hike.
The process of relocating the remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife began Tuesday at Health Sciences Park. The scene quickly became tense after workers put up Confederate flags around the site and began dumping debris on the letters of a Black Lives Matter mural around the monument.
The council approved Tuesday, June 1, accepting $80.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding -- the first of two payments to come from Washington for pandemic relief. But there are still questions and uncertainties about how the money can be used.
Memphis City Council members voted Tuesday, June 1, to extend the city’s five-year old disparity study another two years.
The Tuesday council session includes discussion about proposed home improvement grants, an extension of the contract with the company that runs Liberty Bowl stadium for the city and a delay until June 15 on final votes that would set the city budget and property tax rate.
The commission scorecard looks at smooth sailing for the county budget season past the money left on the table from part of a penny, and why the commission’s resolution on the state’s critical race theory ban still matters.
On The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast, the leader of the coalition of nonprofits calling for different budget priorities questions the resetting of the city and county property tax rates by state law. Cardell Orrin says the city and county rates should stay where they are and not be viewed as a tax hike for all.
The commission approved Monday a basic property tax rate of $3.45 that generates the same amount of revenue as the current tax rate, taking into account increases in property values. But the rate must be rounded down by 0.001 cent, which comes to almost a quarter of a million dollars in revenue left on the table.
Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam kicks off the publication of his new book on faith in the public square by saying religious faith has been overtaken by a partisan political divide.
City Chief Financial Officer Shirley Ford told council members the budget for the new fiscal year that begins July 1 is in the red by approximately $23 million. The culprit is new ground rules for the use of federal funds to make up for revenues lost in the pandemic and how the lost revenues are counted.
The state decision Monday clears the way for site preparation to begin immediately at the Fairgrounds, starting with the 227,000-square-foot Memphis Sports and Events Center that is the centerpiece of the $126 million undertaking.
The honor marks the second medal for the Memphis library system. The first was in 2007, making Memphis Public Libraries the first ever two-time recipient of the award.
Shelby County commissioners voted 11-0 with two commissioners not voting in approving a resolution similar to one approved by the Memphis City Council last week.
A coalition of a dozen nonprofit and community organizations are calling for the city and county property tax rates to stay at their current rates to create more funding for public education, public transportation, affordable housing and similar priorities.
The Shelby County Commission meeting Monday, May 24, is a critical juncture in approving a property tax rate for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. But the county budget is expected to be voted on at the first meeting in June.